Amarone 2021: Valpolicella’s Living Culture and the Standout Wines of the Vintage

The 2021 vintage does not present a single, uniform style. There are traditional and firmly tannic expressions, fragrant wines filled with regional herbs and red fruit, and darker examples built around dried dark fruits, graphite and balsamic complexity. The best share a more important quality: proportion. Fruit concentration is matched by freshness. Alcohol is present but rarely becomes the wine’s sole defining feature. Appassimento adds depth without consistently pushing the wines into heaviness. Even among the most powerful examples, the more successful producers have preserved movement, aromatic clarity and a sense that the wines will continue to evolve rather than merely soften. Seen through the six symbols of the masterclass, 2021 becomes more than another Amarone release. It demonstrates how vineyard architecture, grape selection, drying conditions, fermentation, maturation and inherited cultural knowledge all contribute to the finished wine. Valpolicella is no longer most accurately explained through simple oppositions: power versus elegance, tradition versus modernity, or technique versus terroir. Its identity lies in the relationships between its wines and in the decisions, rituals and accumulated wisdom connecting them. The 2021 Amarone vintage shows that concentration and elegance need not be opposites. When every stage is handled with precision and restraint, each can make the other more compelling. Full details at http://www.quercusvino.ca #Amarone #Anteprima #Valpolicella #Italy #Sommelier #Wine #TopRated #MustTry #WineAficionado #Verona #AmaronePreview #Cellarworthy #Backupthetruck #Winetime #2021Amarone #Corvina #LakeGarda #OperaPrima #Anteprima #WineCollecting #Cellaring #Consorzio

Sommelier Matt Steeves’ Top Rated Wines of 2025

Each year, a small handful of wines rise unmistakably above the rest—bottles that don’t simply impress, but define what greatness looks like in their place of origin. The top-rated wines I tasted this year from Canada, Champagne, and across Italy represent the absolute pinnacle of craftsmanship, terroir expression, and ambition. These are wines made without compromise, where precision meets emotion, and regional identity is expressed with clarity and confidence. From cool-climate Canadian vineyards delivering finesse and mineral tension, to the timeless brilliance of Champagne, and the profound depth and heritage found throughout Italy’s greatest appellations, these selections stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s finest. Together, they tell a compelling story of what is possible when vision, site, and skill align—wines that proudly showcase the extraordinary heights their regions can achieve on the global stage.

Collectible Amarone: The Top Wines of the 2020 Vintage

Collectible Amarone: The Top Wines of the 2020 Vintage - A First Look at Amarone 2020: A Vintage of Elegance, Energy & Exceptional Balance. Full details at http://www.quercusvino.ca #Amarone #Anteprima #Valpolicella #Italy #Sommelier #Wine #TopRated #MustTry #WineAficionado #Verona #AmaronePreview #Cellarworthy #Backupthetruck #Winetime #2020Amarone #Corvina #LakeGarda #OperaPrima #Anteprima #WineCollecting #Cellaring #Consorzio

wine review: Le Guaite di Noemi Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020 (Early Sample)

Le Guaite di Noemi is one of Valpolicella’s most exciting new-generation wineries, led by the talented and visionary Noemi Pizzighella, who has quickly earned a reputation for crafting Amarone of precision, purity, and remarkable finesse. Working with high-altitude, terraced vineyards in the hills of Mezzane di Sotto, Noemi oversees every stage of production with an artisanal touch—from meticulous bunch selection to long, natural fermentations and careful élevage. Her wines are admired for their tension, aromatic lift, and quiet power, delivering both complexity and elegance without excess. The 2020 Amarone from Le Guaite di Noemi may be the finest vintage expression I’ve tasted from this talented up-and-coming winemaker. Still years away from bottling and release, it already shows exceptional promise as a top-of-class interpretation of Amarone. The nose opens with a fresh breeze of fig trees, dried figs, plum, dark cherries, and layered dried dark fruit. Complex accents of cypress, graphite minerality, and a touch of orange rind add remarkable depth and sophistication. On the palate, the wine is harmonious, soft, and beautifully textured, with tannins that are already finely integrated despite its youth. The structure is outstanding—firm yet elegant—and the complexity unfolding at this early stage speaks to Noemi’s craftsmanship and the strength of the 2020 vintage. This is an extraordinary early showing of what will undoubtedly become a profound, age-worthy Amarone. Tasted February 2025. 97+ points. Matt Steeves – http://www.quercusvino.ca

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